Obs. [OE. fréolic: see FREE a. and -LY1.] Free, noble; excellent, goodly, beautiful, lovely. (A stock epithet of compliment in ME. poetry: cf. FREE a. 3.)

1

Beowulf, 615. Freolic wif.

2

a. 1000.  Riddles, xv. 13. Freolic fyrdsceorp.

3

a. 1225.  Leg. Kath., 66.

        A meiden swiðe ȝung of ȝeres,
two wone of twenti,
feir ant freolich
o wlite & o westum.

4

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 8376 (Cott.). Þou freli king, sa ful o bliss.

5

13[?].  E. E. Allit. P., B. 162. To þis frelych feste þat fele arn to called.

6

c. 1320.  Sir Tristr., 192.

        Sone to deþ þer drewe
Mani a frely fode.

7

c. 1350.  Will. Palerne, 822. Alle freliche foules · þat on þat friþ songe.

8

c. 1460.  Towneley Myst. (Surtees), 42.

        My good son, thou shal have grace,
On the now wille I not be wrokyn,
Ryse up now, with thi frely face.

9

c. 1475[?].  Sqr. lowe Degre, 545, in Hazl., E. P. P., II. 44.

        Vndo thy dore! my frely floure,
For ye are myne, and I am your.

10

  b.  absol. Noble one, fair one. (Cf. FREE B.)

11

13[?].  E. E. Allit. P., A. 1154. Quen I seȝ my frely I wolde be þere.

12

c. 1420.  Anturs of Arth., xxix.

        Bryȝte birdus and bold,
Hade i-nuȝhe to be-hold,
Of that freli to fold,
  And the kene knyȝte.

13

  Hence Frelyhede.

14

c. 1440.  Jacob’s Well (E.E.T.S.), 185–6. Þe vj. spanne in þe handyl of þi confessioun is frelyhede; þat frely, be þi good wyll, for loue & deuocyoun to God, þou art schrevyn.

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